Helen’s story:
"The Breast Cancer Foundation NZ nurse was a lifeline for me”
Helen was diagnosed with breast cancer in August 2023, at the age of 61. The grandmother from Hamilton faced a challenging time during treatment, having to go through multiple surgeries. But throughout it all, the support Helen received from Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s specialist breast nurses helped her to get through a very difficult time.
My husband and I had just returned from a month in Thailand on a motorbike trip and we were about to go on another huge overseas trip. While we were home I needed to go for my smear, so I also booked in a mammogram too. We never ended up going on that trip.
Initially I was diagnosed with DCIS, a pre-invasive form of breast cancer. They thought it would be easy to take out – I’d have a lumpectomy and radiation treatment, then I’d be on my way. But during the lumpectomy they discovered the DICS was much larger than originally thought. I needed two further lumpectomies and eventually a mastectomy.
Throughout all of this time, I was getting mixed information – I was given lots of options, but I didn’t feel like I had the information to make decisions wisely. I spent a lot of time Googling, and I felt very confused, alone and frightened.
Sue, the nurse at Breast Cancer Foundation NZ was a lifeline for me, being a point of contact who could explain what was happening. I got to the stage where I was waiting for her call. I could do the research myself, but my mind was in such a muddle, I couldn’t tell what was reliable information.
I also found Breast Cancer Foundation NZ’s mybc Facebook group to be an amazing resource. It made me feel not so alone in having three lumpectomies when I saw others commenting on my post that they had faced the same.
When I neared the end of my treatment journey, Sue also helped me with ideas of moving forward with my life after treatment. It’s so reassuring to know the nurses are still there in the background if I ever need them.
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